Heat a small pan over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup Ghee or Clarified butter.

Add the gond and roast it until it puffs up and becomes crispy.

Keep stirring and watch the flame. This usually takes 2-3 minutes. Be careful not to burn it. Remove the roasted gond from the pan and let it cool.

In a large pan, heat 1/2 cup ghee over low to medium heat. Add 2 cups besan to the ghee and roast it,

Add 1/4 cup sooji (semolina). Roast on a low flame and keep stirring.

Stir continuously to avoid burning. Continue roasting until the besan turns golden brown and starts emitting a nutty aroma. This should take about 10-15 minutes. Remove the pan from gas and keep stirring until cools down a little bit.

Stir in the cardamom powder and any optional nuts or dry fruits if using. Mix everything well.

tranfer the roasted gond from the pan to a bowl and let it cool. Once cooled, crush it coarsely using a mortar and pestle or a rolling pin. Once the besan is roasted properly, add the crushed gond to the pan. Stir well to combine the gond evenly with the besan.

Add sugar and mix thoroughly until the sugar is well incorporated and starts melting.

Allow the mixture to cool slightly so it's comfortable to handle. Grease your hands with a little ghee and take small portions of the mixture to form laddus (small balls). Press gently to shape them.

Let the laddus cool completely at room temperature. Store them in an airtight container. They can be kept for several weeks.